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Red Line branch’s maximum speed increasing to 50 mph, MBTA says
The MBTA announced that the Braintree branch of the Red Line will be increasing speeds as a result of the Track Improvement Program.
The Red Line’s Braintree branch will soon increase its speed from 40 miles per hour to 50 miles per hour where feasible, the MBTA announced Monday.
The Red Line branch’s speed restorations are expected to take effect “within days, pending final inspection,” the agency wrote in a press release.
The speed restorations, which are a result of the Track Improvement Program, represent “the culmination of tireless work” from the MBTA’s Maintenance of Way (MOW) team within the Operations Division, the release said.
The MOW team recently presented its results and strategies at an MBTA Board of Directors meeting Jan. 23.
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Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt praised Eng’s contributions to the MBTA’s recent projects.
“We have made significant progress under the leadership of General Manager Phil Eng, and the system is already superior to what it was two years ago,” Tibbits-Nutt said in the press release. “Important work continues, but the customer experience is dramatically better, with faster rides, new cars, clean stations, and more reliable service.”
Eng’s work with the MBTA has been well-received by Bostonians since he began his post as general manager and CEO in April 2023.
The MBTA credited the speed restorations to the conclusion of the Track Improvement Program in December 2024 and Eng’s efforts to eliminate speed restrictions systemwide, which will result in “a faster, safer, and more reliable service,” according to the release.
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The T announced in November of 2024 that, thanks to the Track Improvement Plan, the Red Line was free of slow zones for the first time in at least two decades.
Similar efforts are underway to restore Orange Line speeds to 55 miles per hour between Oak Grove and Assembly, according to the release. The MBTA also plans to continue focusing on repair projects such as improving drainage systems, vegetation control, and ongoing staff training programs, the release said.
“With the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s ongoing investments in infrastructure and the way we are strategically handling our ongoing improvements with the resources we have, we are delivering faster, safer, and more reliable service to maximize results for the public we serve,” Eng said in the press release. “We are working every day to rebuild and restoring the public’s confidence in the MBTA, and it’s showing us all that when we work together, we can overcome the biggest of challenges.”
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